Employees unaware of workplace wellness programs

Only 34 percent of U.S. workers said they have a health and wellness program at work, even though 70 percent of employers say they offer this type of program, according to recent research from communications company Brodeur Partners.

Nearly half (45 percent) of employee respondents said that if their company did offer a workplace wellness program, they would participate. However, these respondents all believe that a program is unavailable at their job.

“Clearly, there’s a disconnect,” said Brodeur Partners CEO Andrea Coville. “Either employees aren’t getting the memo about the programs that exist in their workplaces, or they don’t consider what their employers are offering to be true wellness programs. Companies need to communicate clearly, aggressively and creatively about what they’re offering and how the programs can enhance their employees’ well-being.”

The survey contains responses from 542 Americans and found that some employees are resistant to wellness programs. The reasons that employees said they do not or would not participate in a wellness program include privacy concerns (50 percent), doubt that such programs would be helpful to them (31 percent), and lack of confidence in an employer’s ability to run an effective program (19 percent).